management unit 4: big river - south...

MANAGEMENT UNIT 4: BIG RIVER - SOUTH FORK

BackgroundLocation and Land Ownership. The BigRiver - South Fork management unit consistsof the watersheds that drain into the Kuskok-wim River, including the South Fork, Big, andLittle Tonzona rivers. Less than half the unitis state owned or state selected. Approximate-ly half the unit is in the Upper Kuskokwimblock which is owned by BLM. The remainderof the unit is Native owned or selected, oroverlapping selections. Approximately 80Native allotments exist in the unit that are lo-cated primarily along the Kuskokwim, SouthFork, Windy Fork, and Big rivers. Most of theunit's population reside in Nikolai, thoughpermanent residents also live in Medfra andmore remote parts of the unit.

Resources and Land Use. Most of the unitis covered with black spruce and shrubs. Alarge burn area along the South Fork Rivernorth of Farewell is covered with grasslandsand fallen timber. There are some narrowbands of white spruce growing along severalrivers; including the Kuskokwim, Big, WindyFork, Pitka Fork, Little Tonzona, and SouthFork rivers and Blackwater Creek.Hardwoods, primarily cottonwoods and birch,are also found in bands along the rivers, in-cluding lower Blackwater Creek, the upperBig River, and the middle sections of theWindy Fork and Middle Fork rivers. Somesouth-facing slopes along the KuskokwimRiver, such as Halfway Mountain, are alsocovered with hardwoods. These timberresources are primarily used for house logsand firewood by residents of McGrath,Nikolai, and Medfra.

The Kuskokwim River, the lower reaches ofthe major tributaries in the unit, including theBig, Pitka Fork, South Fork, and Little Ton-zona rivers, and many of the streams that leadinto them contain anadromous fish. Moose,bear, and caribou are generally distributedthroughout the unit. Concentrations of brownbear and caribou calving areas exist along thelower South Fork River. The buffalo herd in-

troduced into the Alaska Range along theSouth Fork River drainage now uses the landadjacent to this river as far north as Nikolai.Moose concentrate in the whiter along theSouth Fork and Kuskokwim Rivers. Largeareas of wetlands exist in this unit where ducksand geese are widely distributed.

The area is primarily used by the residents ofMcGrath, Medfra, and Nikolai. No guidingareas exist in the unit, and recent mining ac-tivity is limited to the area north of Medfra.Residents of McGrath and Nikolai use thenorthwestern part of the unit, particularlyalong the Kuskokwim River, for moose, bear,caribou, furbearers, berries, fish, firewood,and house logs. Nikolai residents also use thisarea, areas next to the major rivers in the east-ern half of the unit, and the South Forkdrainage upriver almost as far as FarewellLake. The area around Deepback Creek andthe upper Little Tonzona River has very highpotential for coal although the likelihood ofnear-term development is low.

Access. The most heavily used trails in theunit are along the Kuskokwim River betweenNikolai and McGrath. Several trails connectNikolai with Farewell Lake, Telida, Medfra,and McGrath. In the Medfra area, trails con-nect to Nikolai, Telida, McGrath, and severallocal mines. Also, major winter trails connectFarewell Lake with Farewell Landing, the BigRiver roadhouse, and McGrath. Many ofthese trails date back to the gold rush and arerecognized as part of the Iditarod NationalHistoric Trail System. The Iditarod race trailalso passes through the area and connectsFarewell Lake, Salmonberry Lake, Nikolai,and McGrath. Traplines are also prevalent inthe unit. Summer travel is primarily by boatalong major rivers and by plane. State-main-tained, -operated, and -owned airports are lo-cated in Nikolai and Medfra. A privateairstrip also exists at Farewell Landing, twoairstrips at Farewell Lake, and one atFarewell. Floatplanes can land on severallakes and natural or minimally maintained

Management Unit 4: Big River-South Fork 3-31

landing areas exist along river bars. Wintertravel in winter is primarily by snow machineor dog team along the trails or major rivers.Ski planes are also commonly used in winter.

Management Intent_______The general management intent for areasalong the heavily used rivers, particularly theKuskokwim and South Fork, is to provide op-portunities for public use of resources, includ-ing hunting, fishing, trapping, forestry,transportation, and recreation. Because ofthe high use the area receives from the resi-dents of Nikolai in the eastern half of the unitand the valuable resources and public usealong the Kuskokwim River, remote cabinpermits will not be allowed. Lands along theSouth Fork and Kuskokwim rivers will bemanaged for multiple use with emphasis onforestry and fish and wildlife habitat and har-vest. Lands along the foothills of the AlaskaRange and uplands with low resource valueswill be managed for general multiple use.

The Upper Kuskokwim block is owned byBLM and the lands near McGrath and Nikolaiare owned by the Native corporations.However, the beds of the Kuskokwim Riverand other navigable waters such as the Big,South Fork, and Kuskokwim rivers are stateowned and therefore subject to the guidelinesin this plan. Nearly all state lands in this unitwill remain open to mineral entry. The bedsof one short segment of the Big River wheresheefish spawn, will be closed to mineral entry.

Resources on federal lands in this unit havebeen studied for possible selection or relin-quishment. Lands along Sheep Creek will berelinquished because of low resource values.Lands along the lower Big River and the Kus-kokwim River will be selected because of highresource values or to consolidate state landownership.

Subunit 4a - South Fork Uplands

This subunit consists of lands next to the Kus-kokwim and South Fork rivers with low tim-ber value but high wildlife values. One

trapping cabin permit has been issued in thissubunit on the Big Salmon Fork. Most of thissubunit is state owned or selected with someoverlapping selections in this subunit. Theselands will be retained in public ownership andmanaged for multiple use with emphasis onwildlife habitat. Some additional lands alongthe Big River will be selected based on wildlifehabitat, oil and gas, and recreation values andto consolidate state land ownership. If con-veyed to the state, these lands will be managedas part of subunit 4a. Lakes around Farewellhave documented cultural and historic sites.The Division of Parks and Outdoor Recrea-tion should be consulted before leases or per-mits are authorized on these lakes.

Subunit 4b - Hinterlands

The hinterlands consist of several blocks ofstate-owned and state-selected lands andoverlapping selections. These lands are lo-cated away from the rivers, have poor access,and low surface resource values. These landswill be retained in public ownership andmanaged for general multiple use. Onetownship that is state selected on Sheep Creekwill be relinquished because of its lowresource values.

Subunit 4c - Lower Big River and SouthFork River

Most of the land in this unit is state owned, butsome is state selected or overlapping selec-tions. One trapping permit has been issued inthis subunit on Submarine or Steele lake.These lands are located along the Kuskokwim,Big, South Fork, and Little Tonzona Riversand have high timber and wildlife values andgood access. Very high coal potential exist onthe upper Little Tonzona though thelikelihood of near-term development is low.These lands will be retained in public owner-ship and managed for multiple use with em-phasis on wildlife habitat and forestry.Approximately two townships in this subunitalong the Kuskokwim and Big Rivers will beselected for timber, wildlife habitat, oil andgas, and recreation values and to consolidatestate land ownership. If conveyed to the state,they will be managed as part of subunit 4c.Some lakes around Farewell have been docu-

3-32 Management Unit 4: Big River-South Fork

mented cultural and historic sites. TheDivision of Parks and Outdoor Recreationshould be consulted before leases or permitsare authorized on these lakes.

Management Guidelines____The complete set of management guidelinesis presented in Chapter 2. Any of theguidelines could apply to uses within thismanagement unit. Those most likely to applyare listed below:

Fish and wildlife habitatForestryLakeshore managementPublic and commercial recreation resourcesRemote cabins & trapping cabinsTrail management

Subunits 4a, 4b, & 4c - South ForkUplands, Hinterlands, Lower Big River, &South Fork River

Grazing. Grazing leases or permits will not beallowed in the following areas because theysupport large concentrations of moose inwinter and are concentration areas for brownbear (Map 2.1). This does not prohibit tem-porary passage through these areas for travelbetween areas where grazing is permitted.Grazing may be allowed in portions of theseclosed areas if consistent with the guidelinesin Chapter 2 ("Grazing on Important HabitatLands").

T27S R22E K.R.M. sec. 23,24-29 & 31-36T29S R22E K.R.M. sec. 1-6T28S R19E K.R.M. sec. 36T28S R20E K.R.M. sec. 31-36T28S R21E K.R.M. sec. 1, 12-15, 21-29, 31-

36T29S R20E K.R.M. sec. 1-6T34N R27W S.M. sec. 31-36T34N R29W S.M. sec. 31-36T33N R30W S.M.T33N R28W S.M. sec. 1-12T33N R26W S.M. sec. 7,8,15-18,20-25 & 36T32N R26W S.M. sec. 1-3 & 11-13

T32N R25W S& 33

T31N R25W S23 & 26

T31N R24WST31NR23WST30NR25WST30NR24WST29NR26WST29NR25WST29N R24W ST29N R23W ST28N R25W ST31NR20WS,

.M. sec. 6-7, 17-20, 28-30, 32

.M. sec. 4, 5, 8-10, 14-16, 22,

,M. sec. 13,24 & 25M. sec. 19, 20 & 29-32M.M. sec. 5-9,16-21 & 27-34M. sec. 1-3, 10-15 & 22-36M.M.sec. 3-10 & 18-36M. sec. 17-20 & 27-34M.M. sec. 23-28 & 32-36

Subunits 4a and 4c - South ForkUplands, Hinterlands, Lower Big River,and South Fork River

Cultural and Historic Sites. Historic siteshave been reported near Farewell, Sub-marine, and John lakes. The State Office ofHistory and Archaeology in DOPOR shouldbe consulted before leases or permits aregranted adjacent to these lakes.

Selections and Relinquishments. The follow-ing land will be selected for known timber andwildlife habitat values and oil and gas poten-tials (Map 4.1).

T33N R30W S.M. sec. 19-36T32N R30WS.M. sec. 1-4,10-15,22-27 & 34-

36T32N R29W S.M. sec. 18, 19, 30 & 31

The following land will be selected for knownwildlife habitat, and recreation values, and oiland gas potential and to consolidate state landownership:

T32N R29W S.M. sec. 1-18, 20-29 & 32-36T33N R28W S.M.T34NR27WS.M.T33N R26W S.M. sec. 19-21 & 28-33

The following land will be selected to con-solidate state land ownership:

T28S R21E K.R.M. sec. 1, 12-15, 22, 23, 26&27


The following township on Sheep Creek willbe relinquished because of low resourcevalues:

T29N R26W S.M.

Mineral Closures. One of the only two knownsheefish spawning areas that exist in the Kus-kokwim drainage are on the Big River.Sheefish spawn over a 2-mile segment of theBig River, approximately 40 to 42 miles upfrom the mouth. The best spawning area isprobably 2 to 2.5 miles above the last largemeander in the river. Sheefish enter the BigRiver from July through early September andprobably arrive at the spawning grounds inlate September. Though the uplands of thisportion of the Big River are owned by BLM,the bed of the river is state owned. To protectthis important spawning area, state landsbelow ordinary high water in the following sec-tions of the Big River will be closed to newmineral entry. This area currently has lowmineral potential and no existing miningclaims. The boundaries of the closures aredescribed in Appendix H and are shown onMap 2.4.

T31N R30W S.M. sec. 33 & 34T30N R30W S.M. sec. 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 17, & 18

Iditarod National Historic Trail System andRace Trail. Both trail systems pass throughportions of all this unit (Appendix C). Set-backs along them will be consistent withpolicies in Chapter 2.

Subunits 4a, 4b, and 4c - South Fork,Hinterlands, and Big River

Agricultural Potential. Although preliminaryratings in the USDA Exploratory Soil Surveyshow portions of these subunits as havingmoderate potential for agriculture, detailedinformation is unavailable to confirm theseratings. To protect options for long-term useof these lands, the Division of Agricultureshould be consulted before permits or leasesare issued for any activities that would sig-nificantly diminish their capability to supportagriculture.

3-34 Management Unit 4: Big River-South Fork

RESOURCE INFORMATION SUMMARYManagement Unit 4 - Big River-South Fork

Resource

Agriculture

4a

Moderate to lowpotential

Subunit4b


4c


Energy

Fish

Forestry

Grazing

Historic/cultural

Materials

Minerals

Oil & gas

Public access

Recreation

Settlementsuitability

Wildlife

Important trails

Very high coal poten-tial on Little TonzonaRiver; rest low tomoderate

Salmon & resident fish

Low to unsuitable

High potential

Iditarod NHTS

Low potential

Low potential

Very high coal potentialon Deepbank Creek; restlow to moderate

A-1 and B-1; Moosewinter range; bear

Iditarod Race Trail &NHTS; local trails nearMedfra; little Tonzonatrail

Mostly very low, somelow potential

Salmon & resident fish Salmon & resident fish

Most unsuitable; some High potential alongmoderate potential near South, Pitka, & WindyKuskokwirn River Fork rivers ; rest

unsuitable

Partially withincurrently mapped esti-mated Minchumina sedi-mentary basin boundary

Boat on rivers; planeto natural landing areasand airstrips; snowmachine trails

Moderate on IditarodRace Trail; rest lowpotential

Unsuitable

High potential

Unknown

Low potential

High near Medfra; restlow potential; miningclaims near Medfra


Snowmachine trails

High potential

Iditarod NHTS

Low potential

Low potential


Boat on rivers; planeto lakes & riverbars;snowmachine & dog trails

Low potential Moderate on IditarodRace Trail; rest lowpotential

Most unsuitable; pockets Most unsuitable; someof high and low high and low along

rivers

B-2 and C; Moosewinter range; bear

Local trails nearMedfra

Mostly A-1; some C;Brown bear cone, area;moose winter range

Iditarod Race Trail &NHTS; Nikolai trail;South Fork River trail;trails near Medfra

See glossary for definition of ratings.


LAND-USE DESIGNATION SUMMARYMANAGEMENT UNIT 4 - BIG RIVER-SOUTH FORK

SUBUNIT

4aSouth ForkUplands

4bHinterlands

4cLower BigRiver andSouth ForkRiver

LANDOWNERSHIP

State, stateselected,state/Nativeselected &federal

State, stateselected &state/Nativeselect & fed.

State, stateselected &state/Nativeselected, andfederal

PrimarySurface Uses

Wildlife habitat

General use:low resourcevalues

ForestryWildlife habitat

LAND USE DESIGNATIONSSecondary ProhibitedSurface Uses Surface Uses3

Grazing in partLand disposalsRemote cabins

Land disposalsRemote cabins

Grazing in partof subunitLand disposalsRemote cabins

COMMENTS

Subsurfaceb

Open Includes newselections

Open One townshipproposed forrelinquishment

Open Includes newselections

aOther uses such as material sales, land leases, or permits that are not specifically prohibited may beallowed. Such uses will be allowed if consistent with the management-intent statement, the managementguidelines of this unit, and the relevant management guidelines listed in Chapter 2. Grazing may be allowed inportions of closed units when consistent with the guideline in Chapter 2 (Grazing on Important Habitat Lands).

bAll areas are available for leasing for leasable minerals. Statements of whether or not the unit is open tomineral entry refer only to locatable minerals.3-36 Management Unit 4: Big River-South Fork

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

—i ^^JT^^.V'tC^ A^^Js^Jr^ x *•$ j ) T* liBv ' £J ' A Y -

^^fe^îJtc*^^ÂV-1^^^ÎS '-^^-^W J^î\%\ Vr^ c/^jfes^^''-- T^x?*^ / ;v^î'

Sfc—_ v,

Kateel River Meridianay.........;-jattm--_-

Meridian

4: Big River -South ForkManagement Unit BoundarySubunit Boundary

NoPattern State Owned

State Selected

Native Owned

Native Selected

Federal

Proposed State Selections

Proposed Relinquishments

—•— Trails on public lands

........ ANCSA 17 (b) easementsState Omnibus roads

Map shows approximate location of easementsto state land and trails across state land.Portions of trails may cross private lands.

G.S.G.S. QuadsMcGrathMedfra

Location Map

Map Scale:1:500,000


management unit 4: big river - south...

Documents